Wooden writing undermines this collective biography for the scientifically curious.
These profiles of 25 noteworthy leaders in their fields demonstrate that scientists don’t have to be straight, white, and male.
The concept of this book is sound, and the range of people profiled is broad, including household names (Alan Turing, Temple Grandin, Jane Goodall) and lesser-known figures. The entries are organized into five branches of science: formal (such as mathematics and computer sciences), physical, life, social (including archaeology and law), and medical. In each section, one of the profiles highlights a scientist from the past, such as Chinese-born physicist Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997) and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963). Others are still young, like Mariah Gladstone, who studies the environment and food systems, and ornithologist Corina Newsome, both born in 1993. Each profile includes an appealing, full-color portrait by Uroda and a biography of two to three pages, punctuated by text boxes titled “Question for YOU,” “Science YOU can explore,” and “Did YOU Know About…” Each of the five sections ends with several robust activities. Sadly, the exposition in the profiles ranges from pedestrian to actively awkward. Phrases containing discrete ideas are strung together into long sentences that may daunt the intended readership. The selected biographical details don’t bring the subjects to life, and the book contains a few inaccuracies. The strongest portion is the final chapter, “Explore More!,” which explains myriad paths to becoming a scientist.
Wooden writing undermines this collective biography for the scientifically curious. (references and resources, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781523516780
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.
In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.
The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3077-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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